Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's ? ATVs

Looking for a mid-weight, moderately expensive, not so heavy ATV for general hunting and riding purposes. Thx.

Opinions, choices?

I would look at a Honda Rancher 420. They are a relatively mid-size quad with plenty of power to do almost any task and are EFI for cold weather starts.

Yep, Honda Rancher.

If you want the one with all the bells & whistles get the rancher AT with power steering. It's got independent suspension and an automatic transmission (not belt driven like other brands). I've got one and it's great.

Another vote for the Rancher..You can get power steering without the AT option as well..got one..

Wifes got an 09 Rancher 420 AT with the power steering and I can drive it with one finger, only thing I don't like about it is the high gearing. Doesn't do all that well in mud or steep climbs. I changed out the final drive gear on it and it really made a big difference. Now it will go through the mud and climb steep hills with ease.

I really like the Honda's but I also like the Yamaha Grizzly's. You can also get them with the power steering which is a must on my next atv. I think the Grizzly 550 with ps would be the ideal hunting wheeler.

Google up Craigslist and look for a late model Suzuki King Quad 700 or 750. They don't weigh any more than a Honda Rancher and they will do everything you want a Quad to do. They have independent suspension, differential lock, Hi/Low range, and they are more comfortable to ride. I have 2 and they are great.

I have a 1998 Honda Foreman ES and the only reason I still have it, is because it just won't quit! That being said, if I were in the market today I would follow shrapnel's advice!

New or used?

I bought my 2001 Honda Foreman 450 S for $2200. It still runs great and does all I ask. I don't need anymore power than it offers.

I'd look for a used one if I was in the hunt. The prices they're getting for new bikes is insane right now.

this is also some good advice.

'Zuki makes a comfortable ride, for sure, and a decent machine generally. (Soaking the 400 Eiger which was only a month old upside down in the Bering Sea didn't improve the performance, but, other than various electronic components, it didn't kill it either.) Mine has more than 25,000 miles on it and it still runs - at least during the warmer months when I drive it.

For very solid engineering however, the Grizzlys seem tough to top. I was a devout Honda user for years, and I still work on them, but it seems that is what Honda has become. Yamaha has many features from a design standpoint which are better than most. We've only run our 450 for six months; not a lot of miles in the cold, but it still starts at -15-20� F. Presently it has only 3000 miles but it looks like it'll be around for a long time. I liked the idea of the sealed-in-oil rear brake system since both Honda and Suzuki rears are very reliable in giving up when they've been around the block a few times in our conditions. Additionally, the belt drive system is rock solid in so many ways which most engineers overlook. The ride feels different than others I've ridden (I prefer solid rear axle on roads/hard trails) but I'd buy a 450 or 550 again in a heartbeat, assuming that heart beat included $8K.

I have a 2001 Arctic Cat 500 with 26" ITP 589's, and manual. The ATV is geared very low as a pure utility and really goes through the mud and over boulders and logs. It has been absolutely bullet proof. It has a link suspension and will carry a lot of weight. I have pulled logs with it and some other 500's and it out worked all of them. If someone has one of these with low mileage pick it up. It has a 500 cc Suzuki with a Chromium sleeve. I also have the manual which doesn't care how deep the swamp is as long as it gets air to the carburator. I have been amazed at the toughness of this ATV.
Buckfever 1

#1 - that vintage Foreman, especially the "S" model. It's tougher than a bag of hammers.

I have a 2006 Honda Rancher 4x4 its been bulletproof

For just hunting tough to beat a Honda Foreman 450 or 500.
With the 500's you get a switchable 2 to 4 wheel drive.

You could get the switchable 4x4 on the later "ES" models as well. My 03 had it. Just something else to mull over while looking for a bike.

I would recommend the switchable 4x4 if you can get it.

Looks like Honda's old reputation is still alive in those places where the new stuff isn't reliably unreliable. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case where they see a lot of day-to-day use.

I've owned several, all Yamahas. Honda has the market cornered for reliability, though the recent Yamahas are every bit as good. Yamahas have better features for off-road, and are more capable in that department. I've owned an 07 Big Bear 400. It's simple, reliable and built like a tank. It's carb fed, but starts more reliably and more quickly than ANY efi machine I've ever seen, even in temps far below zero. I once killed the battery on my grizzly 700 (EFI) trying to start it in about -20 temps so I could plow my driveway. I took the plow off the Grizzly, fired up the old Big bear and went to work. turn on the choke, thumb the starter - instantly alive, every time. It's a 5 speed foot shift with auto clutch, has granny low 1st gear for pulling, four wheel independent suspension for ride quality and off-road ability and it's 2 or 4 wheel drive selectable with an electric locking front differential. They are built like a tank and can handle just about anything. If you prefer an auto tranny, look for a Grizzly. They are available with power steering for almost all engine sizes now too. My Yamahas have never let me down.

We run ATVs daily here. I run a ATV recreation park in Oklahoma. The early 2000's rancher es models are pure work horses. They are air cooled, so no worries about running a stick through your radiator and walking back in to camp. Carbed so no worry about a fuel pump going out. Just pull the choke and they will start in cold weather, maybe not in the artic.


Ours don't have the selectable 4x4, but that's ok. We have to use it full time any way to haul stuff up and down the dunes of Little Sahara.

The best thing to do is to try to ride as many different brands and sizes as you can. I have owned several different brands over the years and have friends who have every brand available so i get to ride them all. I own a Honda 500 Rubicon and a Kawasaki Prairie 360 myself but i can tell you from experience that as soon as you set on a honda you will know that it is a better built machine than the other brands, i know that they are behind in the brake department but that is all you can say bad about them. Go try them for yourself and you will see what i mean.

My 2001 Honda Rancher has 8,000 miles on it with out a hickup. Hard not to recommend one.